Save the Elephants (STE), founded by zoologist Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton in 1993, conducts pioneering research into the ecology and behaviour of elephants to secure their future. At our research station in Samburu National Reserve, northern Kenya, more than 900 identified elephants have been observed over three decades, and STE’s intimate knowledge of their family structures and history has opened a rare window into the world of elephants. At our second research station in Tsavo, southeastern Kenya, our coexistence team investigates solutions to the long-term challenges that elephants face and delivers training to implement those solutions for peaceful coexistence between humans and elephants.
STE partners with world-leading universities and institutions to develop new technology to understand and protect elephants. Cutting edge tracking systems now help scientists and organisations across the continent defend elephants and their ecosystems, and plan for their future. AI systems are transforming population monitoring and are revealing previously hidden realms of elephant communication. STE works to incorporate elephant needs into landscape planning to maintain protected areas and ecosystem connectivity, a critical concern in an increasingly populated and developed Africa. We pursue evidence-based conservation initiatives with grass-roots community engagement strategies, building collaborations to secure a future for the elephants in Kenya, whilst creating tools and techniques for use elsewhere on the continent.
STE runs the Elephant Crisis Fund in partnership with Wildlife Conservation Network, providing flexible and responsive support to an alliance of organisations across the world combating the ivory trade, promoting human-elephant coexistence, and protecting elephant landscapes.
